Sharadiya cultural festival opens at Shilpakala Academy

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, in association with the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, inaugurated a two-day Sharadiya Cultural Festival on Tuesday evening in Dhaka. The event began with the staging of the jatra "Mahishasur Mardini, Devi Durga" at the Academy's Experimental Theatre Hall, drawing a full audience eager to mark the season's festivities.

The inaugural session was chaired by Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed, poet and director general of the Shilpakala Academy. In his speech, he underlined the festival's role in reinforcing communal harmony, declaring, "We will build a beautiful Bangladesh free of communal stains and divisions." He also invoked the unity of the July uprising, noting that Muslims, Hindus and Christians alike "shed blood together to make the revolution a success."

Special remarks were delivered by Joint Secretary Mohammad Harun-ur-Rashid of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ramesh Dutta, convener of the Puja Udyapan Front, and Gazi Belayet, president of the Bangladesh Jatra-Shilpo Unnayan Parishad. The welcome address came from Deepak Kumar Goswami, director of Theatre and Film at the Academy.

Tuesday's performance featured a large cast of seasoned jatra artistes, including Ujjal Kumar Bepari, Ranjit Haldar, Rebati Ranjan Majumdar, Promoth Ranjan Gomasta, Probir Bepari, Sanjay Biswas, Sudeb Mondal, Himangshu Howlader, Amal Haldar, Manik Baral, Bimal Baidya, Dwipak Howlader, Saurav Haldar, Nirmal Chandra De, Gautam Das, Khokon Biswas, Mukti Chakraborty, Janki Roy, Shimu Debnath and Jyoti Roy, among many others. Their collective performance brought to life the timeless battle between Durga and Mahishasur with vibrant music, dance, and theatricality.

The festival continues on Wednesday, October 1, at the Academy's Nandan Mancha. From 6:30pm to 9:00pm, audiences will be treated to an ensemble performance by 50 traditional drummers, followed by music from cultural troupe "Spandan" and popular singers Anima Rai, Debleena Sur Dola, Rituraj and Sinthi Saha.

This year's festival is part of a broader effort by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to celebrate major religious and cultural occasions. Earlier in 2025, the Ministry and the Academy jointly hosted "Chand Rater Anondo Anusthan" for Eid and a cultural festival marking Buddha Purnima. All events have been free and open to the public, underscoring the Academy's commitment to making culture accessible to all.

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